Burger of the Month Specials: Oct. 2015

Let’s all agree that you can do an Octoberfest burger as the October Burger of the Month special, but only if you add your own twist to it. Otherwise, why bother? And nearly all the Octoberfest specials here have some creative touches.

For example, Milwaukee Burger Co. in Eau Claire, Wis., starts with a bratwurst patty and adds house-made fried pickles and Swiss cheese curds to the obligatory sauerkraut and spicy mustard. Jack’s Prime Burgers & Shakes in San Mateo, Calif., goes with Muenster cheese and Pale Ale mustard mayo for a different flavor profile. Yeah! Burger in Atlanta at least goes with organic sauerkraut and organic mustard.

Doug Sohn’s “Burger à la Tarte Flambé” for Spritz Burger.

Hey, even our comrades at Corner Burger at Moscow know the rule: Its Oktoberfest Burger has chorizo plus Cheddar and Dutch Maasdam cheeses.

Let’s also spotlight a couple of Burger of the Month specials that don’t involve bratwurst. Doug Sohn, owner of Chicago’s late-lamented Hot Doug’s hot-dog restaurant has created a “Burger à la Tarte Flambé” special for Spritz Burger in Chicago. It’s an Angus patty topped with “stinky French cheese,” bacon lardons, caramelized onions and whole-grain mustard crème.

Stuffed burgers, or “Juicy Lucys,” appear several places. One, of course, is Blue Door Pub in St. Paul, Minn., which has a new version of what it calls a “Blucy” every month. For October it’s the Big Tex Blucy with shaved prime rib and barbecue sauce. The Juicy Lucy at BOBO Social in London gets stuffed with Cheddar, jalapeňos & green peppercorns.

The Juicy Lucy at Mel’s Burger Bar

The Juicy Lucy is the October special at Mel’s Burger Bar in New York City, too. There, it’s stuffed with American cheese, jalapeňos and ham.

If you’re interested in hearing what a locally sourced burger sounds like, see the descriptions of Big Orange’s Kent Walker Habanero Burger and Burger Revolution’s The Quinterra burger. These folks think local.